Asbestos Removed from Capitol Hill Tunnel

On September 20, 2006 licensed asbestos abatement workers were scheduled to remove about 1,000 bags of asbestos-containing materials from the Capitol tunnel -- a site which has generated much controversy in regards to workers and asbestos exposure.

Smaller amounts of asbestos began to be removed earlier in the year, shortly after it was discovered that 10 men who work in the tunnels were exposed to what would be considered dangerously high levels of asbestos. According to an article in The Hill, earlier this year three senators introduced and passed an amendment to the emergency supplemental spending bill that would provide nearly $28 million in federal funds to begin to repair the infrastructure. It has been estimated that the abatement work and repair of the tunnels may cost as much as $200 million.

Lawmakers have been extremely irate that Capitol workers have suffered ongoing exposure to this toxic material, which is known to cause such lung diseases as asbestosis and mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer which carries little chance of long-term survival. A complaint filed with OSHA in February prompted the current clean-up, which could continue for months.

For more information on this, see: http://www.mesotheliomasos.com/newsCapitolremoval.php

Monheit Law, Anapol Schwartz Weiss Cohan Feldman & Smalley, Michael Monheit Esq., represent victims of occupational exposure to toxic substances such as Asbestos